Deleting large volumes of data in Microsoft SQL Server can be a challenging task. If not done correctly, it can lead to performance issues, excessive log growth, and even system outages. This article explores various techniques and best practices for efficiently removing substantial amounts of data from your SQL Server databases.
Using the DELETE Command with Batching
The simplest approach is to use the DELETE command, but when dealing with large datasets, it’s crucial to delete in smaller batches to avoid long-running transactions and minimize log growth.
WHILE 1 = 1 BEGIN DELETE TOP (10000) FROM YourTable WHERE [your condition]